THE Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has described the recent fingering of three sports journalists in the Asiagate football match-fixing scandal as “a stain to the profession”. By Our Staff Reporter
In a statement released yesterday, ZUJ secretary-general Foster Dongozi said the implication of the three should serve as a reminder to journalists to uphold professional and ethical conduct during their course of duty. “Recent developments in which three journalists were implicated in the Asiagate soccer match-fixing scandal are indeed a stain on our profession which suffers from other unfriendly forces such as infiltration, excessive regulation, repressive laws, poor working conditions and an unsafe working environment,” reads the statement.
Dongozi said the union had a “zero tolerance” approach to corruption, unprofessional and unethical conduct, adding the matter should be urgently brought before a competent court of law to ensure the suspects received a fair trial.
“We call for the speedy conclusion of the ongoing processes so that those implicated are subjected to fair and just processes and not private prosecutions,” he said. “The developments have come as an opportunity for ourselves as a profession, to do some soul-searching about professional and ethical conduct while on duty,” he said. “Allegations have been made of prevalence of unethical and unprofessional conduct, including demanding or accepting gifts and money. This should, therefore, serve as a timely reminder that any form of unprofessional or unethical conduct is unacceptable.”
